System and method for uniquely identifying physical trading cards and incorporating trading card game items in a video game

ABSTRACT

A system and method for uniquely identifying physical trading cards and/or incorporating trading card game items in a video game is provided. In certain implementations, a unique code that identifies a trading card may be obtained. A graphical representation of the unique code may be generated based on a graphical coding scheme. The graphical representation of the unique code may comprise at least a part of: (1) a depiction of a game item that is usable in the video game; or (2) a border of the trading card. Content associated with the depiction of the game item may be obtained. The trading card may be generated based on the content associated with the depiction of the game item and the graphical representation of the unique code such that the generated trading card depicts the game item and the graphical representation of the unique code.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/175,904, filed Jun. 15, 2015, the content of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

This application is additionally related to the following, co-pendingU.S. utility patent applications, filed on even date herewith: (1) U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/883,154, and (2) U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/883,171, each of which is hereby incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to video games, and more particularly toa system and method for uniquely identifying physical trading cards, andfor incorporating game items from identified trading cards in a videogame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various video games exist wherein game features and functionality are“unlocked” (or otherwise accessed) via visible codes obtained fromphysical trading cards distributed for use with the video game.

For example, trading cards may depict a game item (e.g., a character,accessory, etc.) along with an access code (e.g., a serial number orother code) that a user must input in order to activate the game itemfor use and enjoyment during gameplay. In some instances, the accesscode may comprise a string of numbers and/or letters that have to bemanually entered by the user. Other games, by contrast, encode accesscodes or other identifiers in bar codes (including QR codes, etc.) thatmust be scanned in order to extract the code and activate the game item.In either instance, the presence of numbers/letters and/or bar codes onthe surface of a trading card may diminish the aesthetic appearance ofthe trading card.

Further, in conventional trading card printing processes, access codesand identifiers are generally imprinted separately from the tradingcard's art or content, and thus require a multi-stage printing process.These and other drawbacks exist.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention addressing these and other drawbacks relates to a systemand method for uniquely identifying physical trading cards, and forincorporating game items from identified trading cards in a video game.

According to an aspect of the invention, one or more physical tradingcards may be created for use with any type of video game. Each tradingcard may depict at least one game item that may be “unlocked,”activated, or otherwise made available for use by a player duringgameplay. Non-limiting examples of game items may include, withoutlimitation, virtual trading cards (i.e., virtual representations of atrading card used within a video game), video game characters, in-gameaccessories for use by a character (e.g., weapons, spells, portions,vehicles, etc.), special powers (e.g., invisibility, a flying ability,characteristic/ability upgrades, etc.) available to a character in thegame, or other game items.

In an implementation, graphical representations of unique codes thatidentify trading cards may be generated, and utilized to generate thetrading cards such that the graphical representations of the uniquecodes are included as aspects of the trading cards.

For example, a graphical representation of a unique code that identifiesa trading card may comprise one or more of:

(1) a border of the trading card (or portions thereof) that is to bedepicted on the trading card;

(2) background items to be depicted on the trading card (e.g., sceneryitems or other items depicted in the background of the trading card);

(3) a video game character (or aspects thereof) that is to be depictedon the trading card;

(4) an in-game accessory (or aspects thereof) that is to be depicted onthe trading card;

(5) a power (or aspects thereof) that is to be depicted on the tradingcard;

(6) a watermark embedded into the trading card; or

(7) other aspects of the trading card.

According to an aspect of the invention, a plurality of versions oftrading cards may exist. Each trading card version may, for example,correspond to one or more of a different set of unique codes foridentifying trading cards, a different graphic coding scheme forgenerating graphical representations of the unique codes, a differentgraphic coding scheme for generating graphical representations of errordetection codes associated with the unique codes, a different versionicon, a different template, etc.

Accordingly, in one implementation, versioning information associatedwith one or more trading cards may be obtained, and the trading cardsmay be generated based on the versioning information. The versioninginformation may indicate a version to which a trading card corresponds.Additionally, or alternatively, the versioning information may indicateone or more of a set of unique codes that are to be used to identifytrading cards of a particular version, a graphical coding scheme that isto be used for generating graphical representations of the unique codes,a graphical coding scheme that is to be used for generating graphicalrepresentations of error detection codes associated with the uniquecodes, one or more version icons that are to be depicted on the tradingcards, a template for the trading cards (e.g., a template that indicateslocations at which to place various items on the trading cards,formatting for the trading cards, etc.), or other information.

As an example, one or more version icons that correspond to a versionassociated with a trading card may be obtained, and the trading card maybe generated such that the trading card comprises the obtained versionicons (e.g., by obtaining a template comprising the version icons andgenerating the trading card using a template).

According to an aspect of the invention, one or more portions of atrading card that is to be printed may be provided to a printing system(e.g., a printing service, a printing server, a printer, etc.). Uponreceipt of the trading card portions, the printing system may print thetrading card to produce a physical copy of the trading card.

In an implementation, information relating to a first portion of thetrading card (that is a portion unique to the trading card with respectto a set of trading cards) may be provided to a printing system at afirst time, and information relating to a second portion of the tradingcard (that is a portion common to the set of trading cards) may beprovided to the printing system at a second time. Information relatingto one or more other portions of the trading card (e.g., another portionthat is unique to the trading card, another portion that is common tothe set of trading cards, etc.) may also be provided to the printingsystem at one or more other times. The printing system may then use theinformation relating to a particular portion of the trading card todetermine the contents of that portion of the trading card.

In another implementation, information relating to one or more portionsof one or more other trading cards of the set of trading cards may beprovided to the printing system, where each of the portions of the othertrading cards are respectively unique to one of the other trading cards.Because information relating to one or more common portions (e.g., thatare common to the set of trading cards such as the second portion of thetrading card) have already been provided to the printing system, thesecommon portions (or related information thereof) need not necessarily beprovided again to the printing system (e.g., if the common portionsremain stored at the printing system and can be identified for printingthe set of trading cards). In this regard, printing delays associatedwith sending portions of trading cards (common to all trading cards) toa printing system may be mitigated. Additionally, or alternatively, thebandwidth utilization and memory consumption of a printer or printerserver associated with sending portions of trading cards to the printingsystem may be reduced.

According to an aspect of the invention, one or more input streams(e.g., comprising images, videos, etc.) may be scanned for trading cardcandidates and/or control item candidates thereof (e.g., version iconcandidates or other control items), and, upon detection of a tradingcard candidate and/or its control item candidates, the trading cardcandidate and/or its control item candidates may be processed todetermine whether the trading card candidate is a valid trading card.Upon identifying a valid trading card, the trading card may be utilizedto activate one or more benefits associated with the trading in a game.

In an implementation, one or more input streams may be received from auser device, and processed to detect one or more trading card candidates(e.g., items within the input streams that could potentially be validtrading cards).

In an implementation, upon detecting a trading card candidate, one ormore control item candidates on the trading card candidate may bedetected. Based on the control item candidates, a determination ofwhether and/or how further processing of the trading card candidate isto be performed may be effectuated. As an example, the relativelocation(s) of control items on trading cards may be known. As such, theknown relative locations on the trading card candidate may be targetedto detect the control item candidates. The detected control itemcandidates may be compared against one or more known control itemsassociated with one or more sets of trading cards to determine whetherthe trading card candidate corresponds to one of the sets of tradingcards. If it is determined that the trading card candidates correspondsto a set of trading cards, the trading card candidate may then befurther processed to determine whether the trading card candidate is avalid one of the trading cards of the set of trading cards (and, if so,which one of the trading cards) (e.g., by checking to see if the tradingcard candidate comprises a graphical representation of a valid uniquecode).

In an implementation, one or more version icons depicted on a tradingcard may be utilized to validate the trading card. As an example, aversion icon may correspond to a version identifier associated with aversion of trading cards, where a set of trading cards belonging to thesame version is associated with a set of unique codes that are to beused for identifying the trading cards of the set of trading cards. Assuch, upon detecting the version icon of the trading card, the versionicon may be utilized to determine the corresponding version identifier.The version identifier may then be utilized to determine the set ofunique codes against which a unique code of the trading card (e.g., thatis graphically represented on the trading card) may be queried orcompared. Upon detecting the graphical representation of the unique codeof the trading card, the graphical representation of the unique code maybe processed based on a graphic coding scheme (e.g., a graphic decodingscheme that corresponds to the version of the trading card) to obtainthe unique code. Once obtained, a determination of whether the uniquecode of the trading card is one of the valid unique codes (e.g., one ofthe unique codes in a set of unique codes that corresponds to theversion of the trading card) may be effectuated. If the obtained uniquecode is one of the valid unique codes, an indication that the tradingcard is valid may be provided.

Although implementations of the invention are described herein withreference to trading cards, it should be appreciated that other objectsmay be used in place of trading cards in other implementations. Forexample, other objects that may be used in place of trading cards mayinclude, without limitation, figurines (e.g., action figures or otherfigurines), figurine accessories, real-world items that correspond togame items, or other objects. As an example, a graphical representationof a unique code for identifying a figurine or figurine accessory may begenerated, and used to print all or a portion of the figurine orfigurine accessory (e.g., via a 3D printing system) such that theprinted figurine or figurine accessory comprises the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code.

As a further example, the figurine or figurine accessory may correspondto a game item (e.g., a corresponding character or character accessoryin a game), and a user may “unlock,” activate, or otherwise access thegame item so that it is available for use by the user during gameplay inthe game. In one use case, for instance, a scanner, or other inputdevice associated with a user device may be used to capture an inputscene comprising the figurine or figurine accessory (or other objects).

These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the systemand/or method disclosed herein, as well as the methods of operation andfunctions of the related elements of structure and the combination ofparts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent uponconsideration of the following description and the appended claims withreference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of thisspecification, wherein like reference numerals designate correspondingparts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however,that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and descriptiononly and are not intended as a definition of the limits of theinvention. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singularform of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. In addition, as used in the specificationand the claims, the term “or” means “and/or” unless the context clearlydictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for uniquely identifying physicaltrading cards, and for incorporating game items from identified tradingcards in a video game, according to an implementation of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary illustration of a trading card, and of regions ofthe trading card, according to an implementation of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary illustration of a border that includes graphicalrepresentations of a unique code of a trading card, an error detectioncode associated with the unique code, or other aspects of the tradingcard, according to an implementation of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary illustration of a game item (e.g., a character)depicted on a trading card, according to an implementation of theinvention.

FIGS. 5A-5B are exemplary illustrations of aspects of a character(depicted on a trading card) that include graphical representations of aunique code of a trading card, an error detection code associated withthe unique code, or other aspects of the trading card, according tovarious implementations of the invention.

FIGS. 6A-6C are exemplary illustrations of different versions of tradingcards, according to various implementations of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary illustration of a trading card that depicts aborder-based graphical representation of a unique code of the tradingcard, according to an implementation of the invention.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary illustration of a flowchart of a method ofcreating and printing physical trading cards, according to animplementation of the invention.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary illustration of a flowchart of a method ofidentifying and validating trading cards, according to an implementationof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention described herein relates to a system and method foruniquely identifying physical trading cards, and for incorporating gameitems from identified trading cards in a video game.

Exemplary System Architecture

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 100 for uniquely identifyingphysical trading cards, and for incorporating game items from identifiedtrading cards in a video game, according to an implementation of theinvention.

As shown, system 100 may comprise a card management system 102, a gamesystem 104, one or more user devices 106, one or more trading cards 108,a card management database 110, or other components.

Card Management System 102

Card management system 102 may comprise one or more servers that includeone or more of a card code generation subsystem 122, a graphic codingsubsystem 124, a card creation subsystem 126, a card validationsubsystem 128, a card printing subsystem 130, an image extractionsubsystem 132, or other components.

Game System 104

Game system 104 may comprise one or more servers that include one ormore of a game space subsystem 142, a virtual card collection subsystem144, a user management subsystem 146, or other components.

In one implementation, game system 104 may comprise a proprietarygameplay network system, such as, without limitation, Microsoft's XboxLIVE®, Sony's PlayStation Network®, gameplay networks provided by Apple,Google, and Amazon, and/or another type of gameplay network system. Inthis implementation, a given game system 104 may be associated with aparticular type of gaming console. Other types of game systems 104 usingother types of gameplay networks may be used as well.

User Devices 106 a-106 n

User device 106 may comprise any type of mobile terminal, fixedterminal, or other device. As an example, user device 106 may comprise agaming console, a handheld gaming device, a personal computer (e.g., adesktop computer, a laptop computer, etc.), a smartphone, a tabletcomputing device, and/or other device that can be used to interact withan instance of a video game. Users may, for instance, utilize one ormore user devices 106 to interact with card management system 102, gamesystem 104, or other components of system 100.

User device 106 may additionally include a camera, a scanner, or otherinput device that may be used to capture an input scene (e.g., one ormore trading cards or other items). User device 106 may further includea virtual reality or augmented reality device that may be used tocapture an input scene and further augment the input scene withcomputer-generator sensory input.

Trading Cards 108 a-108 n

According to an aspect of the invention, trading card 108 may comprise aphysical card (e.g., made out of paperboard, thick paper, plastic,metal, or other materials) that corresponds to one or more game items.Non-limiting examples of game items include, for instance, virtualtrading cards (e.g., virtual representations of a trading card usedwithin a video game), video game characters, in-game accessories for useby a character (e.g., weapons, spells, portions, vehicles, etc.),special powers (e.g., invisibility, a flying ability,characteristic/ability upgrades, etc.) available to a character in thegame, or other game items. Other types of trading cards may be used aswell.

It should be noted that, although implementations described herein arewith respect to trading cards, it is understood that (to the extentpossible) other objects may be used in place of trading cards in otherimplementations. Non-limiting examples of other objects that may be usedin place of trading cards include, for instance, figurines (e.g., actionfigures or other figurines), figurine accessories, real-world items thatcorrespond to game items, or other objects.

Card Management Database 110

According to an aspect of the invention, card management database 110may be, include, or interface to, for example, one or more of an Oracle™relational database sold commercially by Oracle Corporation. Otherdatabases, such as Informix™, DB2 (Database 2), NoSQL databasesincluding Hadoop™ or Cassandra™, or other data storage, includingfile-based, or query formats, platforms, or resources such as OLAP (OnLine Analytical Processing), SQL (Structured Query Language), a SAN(storage area network), Microsoft Access™, or others may also be used,incorporated, or accessed. Card management database 110 may comprise oneor more such databases that reside in one or more physical devices andin one or more physical locations. The database may store a plurality oftypes of data and/or files and associated data or file descriptions,administrative information, or any other data.

General System Configuration

It should be noted that while one or more operations are describedherein as being performed by components of card management system 102 orgame system 104, those operations may, in some implementations, beperformed by components of user device 106.

In some implementations, the various computers and subsystemsillustrated in FIG. 1 may comprise one or more computing devices thatare programmed to perform the functions described herein. The computingdevices may include one or more electronic storages (e.g., cardmanagement database 110 or other electric storages), one or morephysical processors programmed with one or more computer programinstructions, and/or other components. The computing devices may includecommunication lines, or ports to enable the exchange of information witha network or other computing platforms. The computing devices mayinclude a plurality of hardware, software, and/or firmware componentsoperating together to provide the functionality attributed herein to theservers. For example, the computing devices may be implemented by acloud of computing platforms operating together as the computingdevices.

The electronic storages may comprise non-transitory storage media thatelectronically stores information. The electronic storage media of theelectronic storages may include one or both of system storage that isprovided integrally (e.g., substantially non-removable) with theservers, or removable storage that is removably connectable to theservers via, for example, a port (e.g., a USB port, a firewire port,etc.) or a drive (e.g., a disk drive, etc.). The electronic storages mayinclude one or more of optically readable storage media (e.g., opticaldisks, etc.), magnetically readable storage media (e.g., magnetic tape,magnetic hard drive, floppy drive, etc.), electrical charge-basedstorage media (e.g., EEPROM, RAM, etc.), solid-state storage media(e.g., flash drive, etc.), and/or other electronically readable storagemedia. The electronic storages may include one or more virtual storageresources (e.g., cloud storage, a virtual private network, and/or othervirtual storage resources). The electronic storage may store softwarealgorithms, information determined by the processors, informationreceived from the servers, information received from client computingplatforms, or other information that enables the servers to function asdescribed herein.

The processors may be programmed to provide information processingcapabilities in the servers. As such, the processors may include one ormore of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuitdesigned to process information, an analog circuit designed to processinformation, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronicallyprocessing information. In some implementations, the processors mayinclude a plurality of processing units. These processing units may bephysically located within the same device, or the processors mayrepresent processing functionality of a plurality of devices operatingin coordination. The processors may be programmed to execute computerprogram instructions to perform functions described herein of subsystems122-132, 142-146, or other subsystems. The processors may be programmedto execute computer program instructions by software; hardware;firmware; some combination of software, hardware, or firmware; and/orother mechanisms for configuring processing capabilities on theprocessors.

It should be appreciated that the description of the functionalityprovided by the different subsystems 122-132 or 142-146 described hereinis for illustrative purposes, and is not intended to be limiting, as anyof subsystems 122-132 or 142-146 may provide more or less functionalitythan is described. For example, one or more of subsystems 122-132 or142-146 may be eliminated, and some or all of its functionality may beprovided by other ones of subsystems 122-132 or 142-146. As anotherexample, additional subsystems may be programmed to perform some or allof the functionality attributed herein to one of subsystems 122-132 or142-146.

The foregoing system architecture is exemplary only and should not beviewed as limiting. Other system configurations may be used as well, aswould be appreciated by those having skill in the art. Attention willnow be turned to a more detailed description of various implementationsof the invention. It should be noted that features described herein maybe implemented separately or in combination with one another.

Card Creation

According to an aspect of the invention, one or more physical tradingcards may be created for use with any type of video game (e.g., virtualtrading card games, action-adventure games, racing games,first-person-shooter games, and the like). Each trading card may depictat least one game item that may be “unlocked,” activated, or otherwisemade available for use by a player during gameplay.

As previously noted, examples of game items may include, withoutlimitation, virtual trading cards (i.e., virtual representations of atrading card used within a video game), video game characters, in-gameaccessories for use by a character (e.g., weapons, spells, portions,vehicles, etc.), special powers (e.g., invisibility, a flying ability,characteristic/ability upgrades, etc.) available to a character in thegame, or other game items.

Card Code Generation Subsystem 122

In an implementation, card code generation subsystem 122 may generateone or more unique codes for identifying one or more trading cards. Aunique code may comprise a serial number, an alphanumeric code, a set ofcharacters (e.g., numbers, letters, special characters, etc.), or othercode or unique identifier.

In one implementation, each trading card may have its own unique code,even if it depicts the same game item as other trading cards. As anexample, for a given fantasy game, even though a predetermined number ofphysical trading cards may be distributed depicting the same “wizard”character, each trading card will have its own unique code.

According to an aspect of the invention, card code generation subsystem122 may utilize a random number generator (or other algorithm) togenerate unique serial numbers for identifying individual trading cards.Each of the unique serial numbers may be randomly selected by the randomnumber generator from numbers within one or more ranges (e.g., defaultnumber ranges, user-defined number ranges, etc.). In one use case, therange(s) of numbers (from which the unique serial numbers are randomlyselected) may comprise a number space that is significantly greater thanthe number of unique serial numbers to be generated for identifying thetrading cards (e.g., the number space utilized by the random numbergenerated may be significantly greater than the predefined number oftrading cards that are to be printed and/or distributed to consumers).In this regard, users cannot easily guess the unique serial numbers (orother unique codes) associated with the trading cards. While theforegoing example describes the use of a random number generator togenerate unique serial numbers, any type of algorithm or numberingsystem may be used for the generation of unique serial numbers. Othertechniques for preventing successful reverse engineering of the uniqueserial numbers are described elsewhere herein.

Graphic Coding Subsystem 124

Upon generation of one or more unique codes, graphic coding subsystem124 may generate one or more graphic representations of the unique codesbased on a graphic coding scheme (e.g., a graphic encoding scheme).

Card Creation Subsystem 126

Card creation subsystem 126 may utilize the graphical representations ofthe unique codes to generate the trading cards associated with theunique codes. The trading cards may be generated such that the graphicalrepresentations of the unique codes are included as aspects of thetrading cards.

For example, a graphical representation of a unique code that identifiesa trading card may comprise one or more of:

(1) a border of the trading card (or portions thereof) that is to bedepicted on the trading card;

(2) background items to be depicted on the trading card (e.g., sceneryitems or other items depicted in the background of the trading card);

(3) a video game character (or aspects thereof) that is to be depictedon the trading card;

(4) an in-game accessory (or aspects thereof) that is to be depicted onthe trading card;

(5) a power (or aspects thereof) that is to be depicted on the tradingcard;

(6) a watermark embedded into the trading card; or

(7) other aspects of the trading card.

In an implementation, card creation subsystem 126 may generate an errordetection code (e.g., a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) code, acryptographic hash, etc.) associated with a unique code of a tradingcard. Card creation subsystem 126 may then generate a graphicrepresentation of the error detection code based on a graphic codingscheme (e.g., a graphical encoding scheme), and utilize the graphicalrepresentation of the error detection code to generate the trading card.

The trading card may be generated such that the graphical representationof the error detection code is included as an aspect of the trading card(e.g., along with the unique code of the trading card). A graphicalrepresentation of an error detection code associated with a unique codeof a trading card may comprise one or more of:

(1) a border of the trading card (or portions thereof) that is to bedepicted on the trading card;

(2) background items to be depicted on the trading card (e.g., sceneryitems or other items depicted in the background of the trading card);

(3) a video game character (or aspects thereof) that is to be depictedon the trading card;

(4) an in-game accessory (or aspects thereof) that is to be depicted onthe trading card;

(5) a power (or aspects thereof) that is to be depicted on the tradingcard;

(6) a watermark embedded into the trading card; or

(7) other aspects of the trading card.

As an example, with respect to FIG. 2, a physical trading card 200 maycomprise region 202, and regions 204 a-204 d. Each of regions 202 and204 a-204 d may comprise images, text, tactile imprints (e.g., brailletranscription), or other aspects of trading card 200. Although regions202 and 204 a-204 d are illustrated herein as separate regions, one ofskill in the art will appreciate that the regions (or boundariesthereof) may, in some implementations, not be visually separate ordistinct from one another (e.g., content in regions 204 a-204 d may befully integrated with content in region 202).

In one use case, region 202 may comprise an image of a character of avideo game, an in-game accessory for use by a character in the videogame, a power available to a character in the video game, or other gameitem to which trading card 200 corresponds.

Additionally, or alternatively, region 202 may comprise text or tactileimprints that identify or describe a character of a video game, anin-game accessory for use by a character in the video game, a poweravailable to a character in the video game, or other game item to whichtrading card 200 corresponds.

One or more of regions 204 a-204 d may comprise one or more portions ofa border that surrounds all (or a portion) of region 202.

With reference to FIG. 3, one or more portions of border 302 depictedwithin region 204 may comprise a graphical representation of a uniquecode that identifies trading card 200, as well as a graphicalrepresentation of an error detection code generated based on the uniquecode. The unique code of trading card 200 and/or the error detectioncode may, for instance, be graphically represented by one or moregraphical “on” bits 304 (e.g., a solid block or othergraphically-represented bit) and graphical “off” bits 306 (e.g., anempty space, a notch, or other graphically-represented bit).

In one scenario, trading card 200 may comprise two 22-bit arrays of bits304, 306 positioned vertically (e.g., one on each side of trading card200), where each 22-bit array represents one half of the unique code oftrading card 200. The unique code of trading card 200 may, for example,comprise the 44-bit binary code“10101100111011101101011010010110111011010001,” where the left (orfirst) vertical side array of bits 304, 306 represents the first 22 bits“1010110011101110110101,” and the right (or second) vertical side arrayof bits 304, 306 represents the second 22 bits “1010010110111011010001.”

In another scenario, the bits of the unique code of trading card 200 maybe randomly distributed along one or more of the top, bottom, or sideportions of border 302. The random distribution of the bits may be keptas a “secret” (e.g., stored in card management database 110), andsubsequently used to determine the locations of the bits of the uniquecode to obtain the unique code. Other techniques for representing bitsof a unique code on a trading card may of course be utilized.

In yet another scenario, trading card 200 may further comprise two 7-bitarrays of bits 304, 306 positioned horizontally (e.g., fromleft-to-right along the bottom of trading card 200), where each 7-bitarray represents one half of the error detection code associated withthe unique code. The error detection code may, for example, comprise the14-bit binary code “10101011101101,” where the bottom-left (or first)array of bits 304, 306 represents the first 7 bits “1010101,” and thebottom-right (or second) array of bits 304, 306 represents the second 7bits of “1101101.”

In a further scenario, bits of the error detection code (generated basedon the unique code of trading card 200) may be randomly distributedalong one or more of the top, bottom, or side portions of border 302.The random distribution of the bits may be kept as a “secret” (e.g.,stored in card management database 110), and subsequently used todetermine the locations of the bits of the error detection code toobtain the error detection code. Other techniques for representing bitsof an error detection code on a trading card may of course be utilized.

The number of bits and bit arrays of both the unique code and the errordetection code, along with the placement of each on trading card 200,may differ in various implementations. For example, with reference toFIG. 4, a game item in the form of video game character 404 is shownwithin region 202 of trading card 200. Character 404 may comprise ahead, a body, two arms, two legs, etc. The head of character 404 maycomprise two eyes (406 a, 406 b), and a mouth 408. With reference toFIGS. 5A-5B, the unique code of trading card 200 or the error detectioncode may be graphically represented by one or more “on” bits 502, 522(e.g., a solid block or other graphically-represented bit) and “off”bits 504, 524 (e.g., an empty space, a notch, or othergraphically-represented bit).

In one use case, eyes 406 a and 406 b may each comprise a 9-bit matrixof bits 502, 504 (e.g., that represent the pupils of eyes 406 a and 406b), where each 9-bit matrix represents one half of the unique code oftrading card 200 or the error detection code associated with the uniquecode.

In another use case, mouth 408 may comprise two 15-bit arrays of bits522, 524 (e.g., that represent the teeth of mouth 408), where each15-bit array represents one half of the unique code of trading card 200or the error detection code associated with the unique code.

In yet another use case, bits of the unique code of trading card 200 orbits of the error detection code (generated based on the unique code oftrading card 200) may be randomly distributed within one or more of the9-bit matrices (e.g., where each 9-bit matrix represents a pupil of oneof the eyes 406 a or 406 b) or the 15-bit arrays (e.g., where each15-bit array represents a row of teeth of mouth 408). The randomdistribution of the bits may be kept as a “secret” (e.g., stored in cardmanagement database 110), and subsequently used to determine thelocations of the bits of the unique code or the bits of the errordetection code to obtain the unique code or the error detection code,respectively. Other techniques for representing bits of a unique code oran error detection code on a trading card may of course be utilized.

Versioning Information

According to an aspect of the invention, a plurality of versions oftrading cards may exist. Each trading card version may, for example,correspond to one or more of a different set of unique codes foridentifying trading cards, a different graphic coding scheme forgenerating graphical representations of the unique codes, a differentgraphic coding scheme for generating graphical representations of errordetection codes associated with the unique codes, a different versionicon, a different template, etc.

Accordingly, in one implementation, card creation subsystem 126 mayobtain versioning information associated with one or more trading cards,and generate the trading cards based on the versioning information. Theversioning information may indicate a version to which a trading cardcorresponds. Additionally, or alternatively, the versioning informationmay indicate one or more of a set of unique codes that are to be used toidentify trading cards of a particular version, a graphical codingscheme that is to be used for generating graphical representations ofthe unique codes, a graphical coding scheme that is to be used forgenerating graphical representations of error detection codes associatedwith the unique codes, one or more version icons that are to be depictedon the trading cards, a template for the trading cards (e.g., a templatethat indicates locations at which to place various items on the tradingcards, formatting for the trading cards, etc.), or other information.

Version Icons

As an example, based on an indication of a version of a trading card(e.g., a version identifier), card creation subsystem 126 may obtain oneor more version icons that correspond to the indicated version. Cardcreation subsystem 126 may generate the trading card such that thetrading card comprises the obtained version icons (e.g., by obtaining atemplate comprising the version icons and generating the trading cardusing a template).

As a further example, based on the indicated version, card creationsubsystem 126 may determine one or more locations on the trading card atwhich to place the obtained version icons, a graphical representation ofa unique code of the trading card, a graphical representation of anerror detection code associated with the unique code, or other items.

In one scenario, with respect to FIG. 6A, trading card 600 may compriseregions 602, 604 a-604 d, and 606. Each of regions 602, 604 a-604 d, and606 may comprise images, text, tactile imprints, or other aspects oftrading card 600. Region 602 may comprise an image of a game item, suchas a character of a game, an in-game accessory for use by a character inthe game, a power available to a character in the game, or other gameitem to which trading card 600 corresponds. One or more of regions 604a-604 d may comprise one or more portions of a border around all (or aportion of) region 602. Region 606 may comprise a version iconcorresponding to a version of trading card 600.

The respective locations at which regions 602, 604 a-604 d, and 606 areplaced on trading card 600 may be based on the version of trading card600 (e.g., region 606 may be placed at the bottom of region 602 based onthe version of trading card 600).

Additionally, or alternatively, the respective locations at which items(e.g., the version icon) are placed within regions 602, 604 a-604, and606 may be based on the version of trading card 600.

In another scenario, trading card 620 (FIG. 6B) may correspond to adifferent version than the version of trading card 600 (FIG. 6A). Forexample, each of regions 622, 624 a-624 d, and 626 a-626 d may compriseimages, text, tactile imprints, or other aspects of trading card 600.Each of regions 626 a-626 d may comprise a version icon corresponding tothe version of trading card 620, and the locations of regions 626 a-626d may be based on the version of trading card 620. The number of regionscomprising a version icon and the locations of such regions (e.g.,regions 606 and 626 a-626 d) on the respective trading cards 600 and 620may be different, for example, because trading cards 600 and 620respectively correspond to different versions. Additionally, oralternatively, the version icon depicted on trading card 600 may bedifferent than the version icons depicted on trading card 620 (e.g.,based on the versions of the trading cards 600 and 620 being different).

In yet another scenario, with respect to FIG. 7, trading card 700 maycomprise a border 702 having graphical “on” bits 704 (e.g., non-notchedborder portion), graphical “off” bits 706 (e.g., notched borderportion), and a version icon 708. Trading card 700 may, for example, begenerated based on a template corresponding to a particular trading cardversion. The corresponding template may comprise version icon 708 orother aspects corresponding to the trading card version (e.g., thetemplate may place version icon 708 and other aspects at predeterminedlocations). As described elsewhere herein, the version icon may beutilized for validation of trading cards (e.g., to identify a set ofunique codes with which to compare a detected unique code, to identifythe orientation of a trading card, etc.) or other purposes.

In one implementation, two or more trading cards (e.g., associated withthe same version of trading cards, or otherwise affiliated) may bedesigned to share a predetermined number of common regions or portions(also referred to as “keypoints”) to facilitate the detection andvalidation process (described in additional detail below). In onenon-limiting example, with reference to FIG. 6C, a first trading card650 may depict a first character, and a second trading card 660 maydepict a second (different) character. Trading card 650 may comprise,for example, seven keypoints (651 a, 651 b, 651 c, 651 d, 651 e, 651 f,and 651 g) that correspond identically and respectively, in bothposition and content, to seven keypoints (661 a, 661 b, 661 c, 661 d,661 e, 661 f, and 661 g) on trading card 660. Additional trading cards(not pictured) may likewise include the same seven keypoints, eventhough each trading card may depict a different character or other gameitem. A keypoint may comprise any type of content including, withoutlimitation, a color, border, text, graphic, or any other aspect of atrading card. Further, the number of shared keypoints may vary indifferent implementations, along with their positions on the tradingcards. In other words, the position, content, and number of sharedkeypoints on trading cards 650 and 660 in FIG. 6C are exemplary only,and should not be viewed as limiting.

Pre-Printing and/or Pre-Distribution Card Validation

According to an aspect of the invention, electronic copies of tradingcards may be validated prior to printing and/or distributing the tradingcards to mitigate the number of defective printed and/or distributedtrading cards.

Card Validation Subsystem 128

In an implementation, upon generation of an electronic copy of a tradingcard, card validation subsystem 128 may validate the electronic copy ofthe trading card. During validation of the electronic copy of thetrading card (e.g., a generated file comprising an image of the tradingcard), card validation subsystem 128 may detect one or more of agraphical representation of a unique code of the trading card, agraphical representation of an error detection code associated with theunique code, a version icon of the trading card, or other aspects of thetrading card. Card validation subsystem 128 may then process thedetected aspects of the trading card to determine whether the tradingcard is a valid trading card ready for printing and/or distribution.

If a trading card is determined to be invalid, card validation subsystem128 may provide a notification for presentation to one or more users(e.g., administrators or other users) regarding the defect, storeinformation regarding the defect in a log (e.g., in card managementdatabase 110), or perform other reporting or remedial measures.

In one use case, upon detecting the version icon of the trading card,validation subsystem 128 may determine a version identifier thatcorresponds to the version icon. The version identifier may be utilizedto determine a set of unique codes against which a unique code of thetrading card (e.g., that is graphically represented on the trading card)may be queried or compared. Additionally, or alternatively, the detectedversion icon may be utilized to determine an orientation of the tradingcard. For example, if the location of the version icon on the tradingcard is known, the detected location of the version icon relative toother aspects of the trading card may be utilized to determine theorientation of the trading card. The shape, color, or other aspect ofthe version icon may additionally or alternatively be utilized todetermine the orientation of the trading card (e.g., triangular versionicon 708 in FIG. 7 has a point directed toward the top center of tradingcard 700 and a single side that faces (and is parallel to) the bottomcenter of trading card 700). In other implementations, a versioning iconmay have a color that matches a known portion of a trading card (e.g., atop edge of the trading card) to assist in determining the orientationof the trading card.

In a further use case, upon detecting the graphical representation ofthe unique code of the trading card, card validation subsystem 128 mayprocess the graphical representation of the unique code based on agraphic coding scheme (e.g., a graphic decoding scheme that correspondsto the version of the trading card) to obtain the unique code. Onceobtained, card validation subsystem 128 may determine whether the uniquecode of the trading card is one of the valid unique codes (e.g., one ofthe unique codes in a set of unique codes that corresponds to theversion of the trading card). If the obtained unique code is one of thevalid unique codes, card validation subsystem 128 may provide anindication that the trading card is valid (e.g., providing anotification to a user indicating that the trading card is valid,marking the trading card as valid and ready for printing and/ordistribution, etc.).

Printing of Trading Cards

Card Printing Subsystem 130

According to an aspect of the invention, card printing subsystem 130 mayfacilitate printing of one or more trading cards. As an example, cardprinting subsystem 130 may provide one or more portions of a tradingcard that is to be printed to a printing system (e.g., a printingservice, one or more print servers, a printer, etc.) that may be part ofsystem 100 (not illustrated), or external to system 100. Upon receipt ofthe trading card portions, the printing system may print the tradingcard to produce a physical copy of the trading card.

In an implementation, card printing subsystem 130 may provideinformation relating to a first portion of a trading card to a printingsystem at a first time, where the first portion is unique to the tradingcard with respect to a set of trading cards. Card printing subsystem 130may provide information relating to a second portion of the trading cardto the printing system at a second time, where the second portion of thetrading card is common to the set of trading cards. Information relatingto one or more other portions of the trading card (e.g., another portionthat is common to the set of trading cards, another portion that isunique to the trading card, etc.) may also be provided to the printingsystem at one or more other times. The printing system may then use theinformation relating to a particular portion of the trading card todetermine the contents of that portion of the trading card.

In another implementation, card printing subsystem 130 may provideinformation relating to one or more portions of one or more othertrading cards of the set of trading cards to the printing system, whereeach of the portions of the other trading cards are respectively uniqueto one of the other trading cards. Because information relating to oneor more common portions (e.g., that are common to the set of tradingcards such as the second portion of the trading card) have already beenprovided to the printing system, these common portions (or relatedinformation thereof) need not necessarily be provided again to theprinting system (e.g., if the common portions remain stored at theprinting system and can be identified for printing the set of tradingcards). In this regard, printing and print processing delays associatedwith sending portions of trading cards (common to all trading cards) toa printing system may be mitigated. Additionally, or alternatively, thebandwidth utilization associated with sending portions of trading cardsto the printing system may be reduced.

As an example, with respect to FIG. 2, region 202 of trading card 200(and items depicted within region 202) may be common to a set of tradingcards (e.g., all trading cards of the set may correspond to a characterin a game that is depicted in region 202). Regions 204 a-204 d oftrading card 200 (and items depicted within region 202) may be unique totrading card 200 such that other corresponding regions of other tradingcards in the same set are different than regions 204 a-204 d of tradingcard 200.

Card printing subsystem 130 may transmit a first file (e.g., a PDF file,a PNG file, etc.) of an image that includes region 202 (and does notinclude one or more of regions 204 a-204 d) to a printing system, andtransmit one or more additional files that includes one or more ofregions 204 a-204 d (e.g., and do not include region 202) to theprinting system.

Additionally, or alternatively, card printing subsystem 130 may transmitone or more printing instructions to the printing system for combiningthe transmitted files to generate a file comprising trading card 200(e.g., a PDF file, a PNG file, or other file that comprises regions 202and 204 a-204 d and other aspects of trading card 200). The printingsystem may print trading card 200 to produce a physical copy of tradingcard 200 (e.g., using the printing instructions, the file generated froma combination of the transmitted files, etc.).

Additionally, or alternatively, card printing subsystem 130 may transmitone or more layout instructions to the printing system that instruct theprinting system to create the contents of a particular region. Forexample, card printing subsystem 130 may transmit layout instructionsthat cause the printing system to create a certain border image to beused in one or more of regions 204 a-204 d. In some embodiments, thecard printing subsystem 130 may comprise a plurality of component imagesthat can be pieced together to form the trading card's unique code inone or more regions 204 a-204 d. For example, component images maycorrespond to individual bits of the trading card's unique code, eitherin a disabled or enabled state. The printing system may use thecomponent images to compose the unique code in one or more regions 204a-204 d. In some embodiments, the printing system may be pre-programmedto process layout data into content for one or more regions.

As a further example, with respect to FIG. 2, card printing subsystem130 may transmit one or more additional files that include regions ofother trading cards (in the same set as trading card 200) that areunique to their respective trading cards to the printing system. Theregions of the other trading cards that are included in the additionalfiles may, for instance, correspond to regions 204 a-204 d of tradingcard 200 (e.g., the corresponding regions and regions 204 a-204 d maycomprise respective borders that graphically represent unique codes ofthe trading cards, error detection codes of the trading cards, etc.).Because the first file of the image (that includes region 202) hasalready been transmitted to the printing system, and the image includingregion 202 is common to trading card 200 and the other trading cards inthe set, card printing subsystem 130 need not necessarily transmit theregions of the other trading cards that correspond to region 202 to theprinting system. In other words, the already-transmitted image thatincludes region 202 may be utilized to print the regions of the othertrading cards that correspond to region 202 of trading card 200.

As another example, with respect to FIG. 7, an electronic copy oftrading card 700 may comprise a combination of layers (e.g., backgroundlayer, mask layer, etc.), where one or more of those layers compriseaspects that are common to trading cards in the same set of tradingcards as trading card 700 (e.g., same image of a character to which allthe trading cards in the set correspond), and one or more other ones ofthe layers comprise aspects that are unique to trading card 700 (e.g., agraphical representation of a unique code of trading card 700, agraphical representation of an error detection code associated with theunique code, etc.).

Electronic copies of other trading cards in the same set of tradingcards may comprise a combination of layers, where one or more of thoselayers comprise aspects that are common to trading card 700 (and oneanother), and one or more other ones of the layers comprise aspects thatare unique to the respective trading cards. Card printing subsystem 130may transmit one or more first layers comprising the common aspects to aprinting system (e.g., for use in printing trading card 700 or othertrading cards in the same set). Card printing subsystem 130 may transmitone or more second layers to the printing system, where each of thesecond layers comprise one or more aspects that are unique to arespective trading card (e.g., unique to trading card 700, unique toanother trading card in the same set, etc.). Additionally, oralternatively, card printing subsystem 130 may transmit one or moreprinting instructions to the printing system for combining the layers(e.g., placing the layers over one another or using other techniques) togenerate electronic copies of the trading cards for printing.

As yet another example, with respect to FIG. 7, card printing subsystem130 may transmit one or more first layers of trading card 700 (thatcomprise aspects that are common to other trading cards in the same setof trading cards as trading card 700) to a printing system. To have theprinting system print the trading cards in the set with graphicalrepresentations of unique codes of the trading cards or error detectioncodes associated with the unique codes, card printing subsystem 130 maytransmit information identifying the unique codes or the error detectioncodes along with one or more printing instructions (for graphicallyrepresenting the unique codes or the error detection codes on thetrading cards) to the printing system. Additionally, or alternatively,the printing system may be pre-programmed with printing instructions forgraphically representing the unique codes or the error detection codeson the trading cards. Upon receipt of the common layers, the uniquecodes, the error detection codes, or other aspects of the trading cards,the printing system may utilize the received items to print and producephysical copies of the trading cards.

Though the foregoing discussion regarding card printing subsystem 130discusses providing information relating to various portions of one ormore trading cards at varying times, one of ordinary skill willrecognize that the information relating to the various portions(including, without limitation, information relating to images,instructions, layout, encodings, component images, layers, or any otherdiscussed portions) may be provided in any sequence and arrangement offiles, including at once in a single file.

According to an aspect of the invention, the order and/or arrangement inwhich trading cards are printed may be defined according to certainparameters. For example, trading cards that are intended to be packagedtogether may be printed consecutively. Similarly, trading cards that aremeant to be distributed in a particular batch (e.g., those relating to aparticular geography, version, release wave, or the like) can bearranged to be printed consecutively. Digitally arranging and orderingcards to be printed consecutively may, for example, avoid more complexmechanical arranging and ordering. Digitally arranging and orderingcards may also facilitate the tracking and verification of tradingcards. Furthermore, digitally arranging and/or ordering trading cardsmay allow for non-random card groupings, which can be tuned based oncustomer feedback and player analytics.

Image Extraction

According to an aspect of the invention, a user (e.g., a game player)that has obtained one or more physical trading cards may desire to“unlock,” activate, or otherwise access a game item depicted on atrading card so that it is available for use by the player duringgameplay of the video game. Accordingly, a camera, a scanner, or otherinput device associated with user device 106 may be used to capture aninput scene comprising one or more trading cards or other items.

Image Extraction Subsystem 132

In an implementation, image extraction subsystem 132 may receive one ormore input streams (e.g., comprising images, videos, etc.) from userdevice 106. Image extraction subsystem 132 may process the input streamsto detect one or more trading card candidates (e.g., items within theinput streams that could potentially be valid trading cards).

In one implementation, the one or more input streams may be sampledcontinuously, at a predetermined interval, or based on changes to ascene (e.g., additional samples may be acquired when the camera focuschanges or improves, when a trading card is observed to be oriented at anew angle or otherwise moved, and/or when the camera's zoom levels arechanged). The sampling data may then be used to detect one or moretrading card candidates and/or unique codes with increased confidence.For example, only data (e.g., bits) present in a predeterminedpercentage of samples may be deemed as being correctly read (or imaged).

It should be noted that while one or more operations are describedherein as being performed by components of card management system 102,those operations may, in some implementations, be performed bycomponents of user device 106. For example, in some implementations,user device 106 may comprise an image extraction subsystem that issimilar to, or the same as, image extraction subsystem 132.

According to an aspect of the invention, image extraction subsystem 132may detect rectangles in the input streams by selecting shapes withappropriate interior angles and height-width ratios, perform perspectivecorrection to obtain “flat” rectangles, or perform other operations todetect the trading card candidates. Additionally, or alternatively,image extraction subsystem 132 may detect predefined reference shapes(e.g., predefined icons, glyphs, symbols, etc.) to detect trading cardcandidates. For instance, one or more keypoints (such as those describedabove with reference to FIG. 6C) may be used to detect trading cardcandidates.

In an implementation, upon detecting a trading card candidate, imageextraction subsystem 132 may detect one or more control item candidateson the trading card candidate. Based on the control item candidates,image extraction subsystem 132 may determine whether and/or how furtherprocessing of the trading card candidate is to be performed. As anexample, the relative location(s) of control items on trading cards maybe known (e.g., stored in card management database 110). As such, imageextraction subsystem 132 may target the known relative locations on thetrading card candidate to detect the control item candidates. Thedetected control item candidates may be compared against one or moreknown control items associated with one or more sets of trading cards todetermine whether the trading card candidate corresponds to one of thesets of trading cards. If it is determined that the trading cardcandidates corresponds to a set of trading cards, the trading cardcandidate may then be further processed (e.g., by card validationsubsystem 128) to determine whether the trading card candidate is avalid one of the trading cards of the set of trading cards (and, if so,which one of the trading cards) (e.g., by checking to see if the tradingcard candidate comprises a graphical representation of a valid uniquecode).

In one use case, one or more version icons (or other aspects of tradingcards) may be used as control items (e.g., if the number of versionicons against which version icon candidates are to be compared is“small”). If, for example, the relative location(s) of version icons ontrading cards is known, image extraction subsystem 132 may target theknown relative locations on a trading card candidate to detect one ormore version icon candidates. A detected version icon candidate may becompared against one or more known version icons (that correspond to oneor more versions of trading cards) to determine whether the version iconcandidate is one of the known version icons. If the version iconcandidate is determined to be a particular known version icon thatcorresponds to a version of trading cards, image extraction subsystem132 may provide the trading card candidate for further processing todetermine whether the trading card candidate is a valid one of thetrading cards of the set of trading cards (e.g., by checking to see ifthe trading card candidate comprises a graphical representation of avalid unique code).

In a further use case, the version icon may be utilized to determine anorientation of the trading card candidate. For example, if the relativelocation of the version icon on trading cards is known, the detectedlocation of the version icon relative to other aspects of the tradingcard candidate may be utilized to determine the orientation of thetrading card candidate. The shape, color, or other aspect of the versionicon may additionally or alternatively be utilized to determine theorientation of the trading card candidate (e.g., triangular version icon708 has a point directed toward the top center of trading card 700 and asingle side that faces the bottom center of trading card 700, aversioning icon may have a color that is closer to a top edge of thetrading card and a color that is closer to a bottom edge of the tradingcard, etc.). The orientation of the trading card candidate may, forexample, be utilized to reorient an image of the trading card candidate,and the reoriented image may be provided to card validation subsystem128 for determining the validity of the trading card candidate.

In one implementation, image extraction subsystem 132 may comprise antroubleshooting mode for providing a user of image extraction subsystem132 instructions on properly detecting one or more trading cards in ascene. In some embodiments, the troubleshooting mode may providefeedback (e.g., visual, audio, haptic, etc.) when portions of a tradingcard have been recognized or recognized to within a threshold certainty.In some embodiments, the troubleshooting mode may be presented to theuser after a predefined number of failed attempts to recognize a tradingcard. Additionally or alternatively, the user may manually enable thetroubleshooting mode.

Post-Printing and/or Post-Distribution Card Validation

In an implementation, card validation subsystem 128 may receive one ormore trading cards (e.g., images of one or more trading card candidatesfrom image extraction subsystem 132), and process the trading cards todetermine whether the trading cards are valid and/or to identify thetrading cards (e.g., by identifying their respective unique codes). Asan example, upon receipt of a trading card, card validation subsystem128 may detect one or more of a graphical representation of a uniquecode of the trading card, a graphical representation of an errordetection code associated with the unique code, a version icon of thetrading card, or other aspects of the trading card. Card validationsubsystem 128 may then process the detected aspects of the trading cardto determine whether the trading card is a valid trading card, and, ifvalid, to identify the trading card (e.g., by identifying its uniquecode).

In an implementation, one or more version icons depicted on a tradingcard may be utilized to validate the trading card. As an example, aversion icon may correspond to a version identifier associated with aversion of trading cards, where a set of trading cards belonging to thesame version is associated with a set of unique codes that are to beused for identifying the trading cards of the set of trading cards. Assuch, upon detecting the version icon of the trading card, cardvalidation subsystem 128 may utilize the version icon to determine thecorresponding version identifier. Card validation subsystem 128 may thenutilize the version identifier to determine the set of unique codesagainst which a unique code of the trading card (e.g., that isgraphically represented on the trading card) may be queried or compared.Upon detecting the graphical representation of the unique code of thetrading card, card validation subsystem 128 may process the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code based on a graphic coding scheme(e.g., a graphic decoding scheme that corresponds to the version of thetrading card) to obtain the unique code. Once obtained, card validationsubsystem 128 may determine whether the unique code of the trading cardis one of the valid unique codes (e.g., one of the unique codes in a setof unique codes that corresponds to the version of the trading card). Ifthe obtained unique code is one of the valid unique codes, cardvalidation subsystem 128 may provide an indication that the trading cardis valid.

As another example, a graphical coding scheme (e.g., a graphic encodingscheme, a graphic decoding scheme, etc.) may be associated with aversion of trading cards (or a version identifier thereof). Upondetecting the version icon of the trading card, card validationsubsystem 128 may utilize the version icon to determine thecorresponding version identifier. Card validation subsystem 128 may thenutilize the version identifier to determine the graphic coding schemefor decoding a graphical representation of a unique code of the tradingcard, and obtain the unique code based on the graphic coding scheme.Once obtained, card validation subsystem 128 may determine whether theunique code of the trading card is one of the valid unique codes (e.g.,one of the unique codes in a set of unique codes that corresponds to theversion of the trading card). If the obtained unique code is one of thevalid unique codes, card validation subsystem 128 may provide anindication that the trading card is valid.

As indicated, in some implementations, multiple versions of tradingcards may exist, and individual ones of the multiple versions may eachhave its own version icon(s) (or other version indicator) thatrepresents the respective version of trading cards. In animplementation, each version of trading cards may be associated with aset of unique codes, where each of the unique codes of the same set isunique with respect to one another, but not necessarily unique withrespect to other sets of unique codes. In this way, the use of multipleversions may allow for a large (if not unlimited) unique code space. Inanother implementation, each version of trading cards may be associatedwith a graphic coding algorithm (e.g., comprising a graphic codingscheme) for encoding codes (e.g., unique codes, error detection codes,etc.), decoding graphical representations of codes (e.g., unique codes,error detection codes, etc.), etc. As such, for example, the use of theversion icon may allow for algorithmic improvements or othermodifications to the encoding or decoding processes, backwardcompatibility for older versions of trading cards, or other benefits.

In an implementation, a unique code of a trading card may comprise oneor more control bits (e.g., registration bits or other control bits). Asan example, the control bits may be utilized for determining thelocations of other bits of the unique code (e.g., the payload) that arerepresented on the trading card. In one use case, with respect to FIG.3, trading card 200 may comprise two side 22-bit arrays of bits 304 and306, where each 22-bit array represents one half of the unique code oftrading card 200. The unique code of trading card 200 may, for example,comprise the 44-bit binary code“10101100111011101101011010010110111011010001,” where the left sidearray of bits 304 and 306 represents the first 22 bits“1010110011101110110101,” and the right side array of bits 304 and 306represents the second 22 bits “1010010110111011010001.” The control bitsmay comprise the first and last bit of each 22-bit array (e.g., set as“1”), while the remaining bits constitute the payload. When graphicallyrepresented, for example, the predefined control bits may be utilized toform a grid (e.g., the top most and bottom most bits of the unique coderepresented on the left side array and right side array, respectively,may be utilized as the corner points of the grid). Based on the grid,card validation subsystem 128 may extract the graphical representationof the unique code from the trading card.

Of course, the foregoing arrangement of bits and the number of bits(e.g., that represent a unique code or a portion thereof) are merelyexemplary. As an example, the bits of a unique code may be arranged inany fashion on the trading card, including in arrays on any number ofsides of the trading card. The number of bits representing a unique codemay be modified to accommodate a larger or smaller number space (e.g.,on which the unique code may be based). In another embodiment, theunique code may, for example, comprise two 24-bit arrays, each arraycontaining two control bits.

In an implementation, an error detection code represented on a tradingcard (e.g., a CRC code generated from a unique code of the trading card)may be utilized to detect or correct errors related to incorrect readingof a unique code represented on the trading card. As with the uniquecode, the size of the error detection code may vary and the bitsrepresenting the error detection code may be embedded anywhere in thetrading card. For example, in some embodiments, a 10-bit error detectioncode may be embedded along a particular side of the trading card or bedistributed at known locations within the unique code itself.

In-Game Content

In an implementation, once obtained, a unique code of a trading card maybe utilized to activate one or more benefits associated with the tradingcard in a game. As an example, if a unique code of a physical tradingcard is obtained during a user's game session, virtual card collectionsubsystem 144 may obtain a virtual trading card corresponding to thephysical trading card based on the unique code of the physical tradingcard, and add the corresponding virtual trading card to the user'svirtual card collection in the game (e.g., by associating thecorresponding virtual trading card with the user's identifier associatedwith the user's account). In one use case, after the correspondingvirtual trading card is added to the user's virtual card collection, theuser may utilize the virtual trading card to battle other users in thegame, trade the virtual trading card with other users in the game forother in-game benefits (e.g., other virtual trading cards, virtualcurrency, or other benefits), etc. Game space subsystem 142 may, forexample, provide a battle arena in which users may battle one anotherwith their respective virtual trading cards, an in-game marketplace inwhich users may trade their respective virtual trading cards, etc.

As another example, a character in a game, an in-game accessory for useby a character in the game, a power available to a character in thegame, or other game item may be associated with a physical trading card.When the unique code of the physical trading card is obtained, usermanagement subsystem 146 may provide the associated game item to theuser in the game based on the unique code of the trading card. In onescenario, user management subsystem 146 may activate and add theassociated game item to the user's account so that the user can accessthe associated game item when the user is logged into his/her account(e.g., the game item may be associated with the user's identifier thatcorresponds to his/her account). When logged in, for example, the usermay utilize the game item (e.g., a character) to battle other users inthe game.

As another example, trading cards featuring characters or in-game itemsduplicative of characters or in-game items previously added to a user'saccount may be used to provide additional benefits to the user. Forexample, if a user had previously added a particular character tohis/her account, presenting another trading card featuring the samecharacter—but different unique code—to the system could provideadditional benefits to the user such as increasing the level, powers, oritems of the character.

In an implementation, a trading card may be utilized to provide one ormore augmented reality aspects (e.g., of a game). As an example, upondetecting a character in a game, an in-game accessory for use by acharacter in the game, a power available to a character in the game, orother game item that is depicted on a physical trading card, game spacesubsystem 142 may provide a virtual counterpart corresponding to thedepicted game item for presentation to a user (e.g., on the user'sdevice). In one use case, the virtual counterpart (and othergame-related components such as in-game characters, objects, and userinterface components such as energy meters, menus, score displays, etc.)may be overlaid over an input scene (e.g., a real-world image streambeing captured by a user device). The user may also be enabled tointeract with the virtual counterpart. For example, game space subsystem142 may detect the user's actions in the image stream (e.g., a user mayswipe at the virtual counterpart, “touch” the virtual counterpart, etc.,within the viewpoint of a user device), and cause the virtualcounterpart to “react” to the detected user action.

As previously noted, although implementations described herein are withrespect to trading cards, it is understood that (to the extent possible)other objects may be used in place of trading cards in otherimplementations. Non-limiting examples of other objects that may be usedin place of trading cards include, for instance, figurines (e.g., actionfigures or other figurines), figurine accessories, real-world items thatcorrespond to game items, or other objects. As an example, a graphicalrepresentation of a unique code for identifying a figurine or figurineaccessory may be generated, and used to print the figurine or figurineaccessory (e.g., via a 3D printing system) such that the printedfigurine or figurine accessory comprises the graphical representation ofthe unique code.

As a further example, the figurine or figurine accessory may correspondto a game item (e.g., a corresponding character or character accessoryin a game), and a user may “unlock,” activate, or otherwise access thegame item so that it is available for use by the user during gameplay inthe game. In one use case, for instance, a scanner, or other inputdevice associated with user device 106 may be used to capture an inputscene comprising the figurine or figurine accessory (or other objects).

Exemplary Flowcharts

FIGS. 8 and 9 comprise exemplary illustrations of flowcharts ofprocessing operations of methods that enable the various features andfunctionality of the system as described in detail above. The processingoperations of each method presented below are intended to beillustrative and non-limiting. In some implementations, for example, themethods may be accomplished with one or more additional operations notdescribed, and/or without one or more of the operations discussed.Additionally, the order in which the processing operations of themethods are illustrated (and described below) is not intended to belimiting.

In some implementations, the methods may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuitdesigned to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operations of the methods in response to instructions storedelectronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of the methods.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary illustration of a flowchart of a method ofcreating and printing physical trading cards, according to animplementation of the invention.

In an operation 802, one or more unique codes that identify one or moretrading cards may be generated. Operation 802 may be performed by a cardcode generation subsystem that is the same as or similar to card codegeneration subsystem 122, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

In an operation 804, one or more graphical representations of the uniquecodes may be generated. As an example, a graphic coding scheme (e.g., agraphic encoding scheme) may be selected based on a trading card versionto which the trading cards correspond. The graphical representations ofthe unique codes may be generated based on the selected graphic codingscheme. Operation 804 may be performed by a graphic coding subsystemthat is the same as or similar to graphic coding subsystem 124, inaccordance with one or more implementations.

In an operation 806, one or more graphical representations of one ormore error detection codes associated with the unique codes may begenerated. As an example, a graphic coding scheme (e.g., a graphicencoding scheme) may be selected based on a trading card version towhich the trading cards correspond. The graphical representations of theerror detection codes may be generated based on the selected graphiccoding scheme. Operation 806 may be performed by a graphic codingsubsystem that is the same as or similar to graphic coding subsystem124, in accordance with one or more implementations.

In an operation 808, the trading cards may be generated based on thegraphical representations of the unique codes and the graphicalrepresentations of the error detection codes. Operation 808 may beperformed by a card creation subsystem that is the same as or similar tocard creation subsystem 126, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

In an operation 810, a determination of whether one or more of thegenerated trading cards are valid trading cards may be effectuated. Asan example, an electronic copy of a given trading card may be processedto obtain a graphical representation of a unique code of the tradingcard, and the graphical representation of the unique code may beprocessed to obtain the unique code. The obtained unique copy may becompared against a set of valid unique codes. If the obtained uniquecode matches one of the valid unique codes of the set, it may bedetermined that the trading card is a valid trading card. On the otherhand, if the obtained unique code does not match any of the valid uniquecodes of the set, it may be determined that the trading card is notvalid (e.g., and, thus, a defectively generated trading card). Operation810 may be performed by a card validation subsystem that is the same asor similar to card validation subsystem 128, in accordance with one ormore implementations. As an example, with respect to a given tradingcard, method 800 may proceed to an operation 812 responsive to adetermination that the trading card is not valid. With respect to thetrading card, method 800 may proceed to an operation 814 responsive to adetermination that the trading card is valid.

In operation 812, a notification regarding invalidity determination ofone or more trading cards may be provided. As an example, thenotification may be provided to alert one or more users (e.g., anadministrator or other user) with respect to a defect in generating oneor more of the trading cards. Operation 812 may be performed by a cardvalidation subsystem that is the same as or similar to card validationsubsystem 128, in accordance with one or more implementations.

In operation 814, a portion of one of the trading cards that is commonto the trading cards (e.g., a “common” portion) may be provided to aprinting system (e.g., without providing other portions of other ones ofthe trading cards that corresponds to the “common” portion of the onetrading card). As an example, only because the portion is common to alltrading cards of the given set of trading cards, other portions of otherones of the trading cards that correspond to the “common” portion (ofthe one trading card) do not necessarily need to be provided to theprinting system. Operation 814 may be performed by a card printingsubsystem that is the same as or similar to card printing subsystem 130,in accordance with one or more implementations.

In an operation 816, portions of the trading cards that are respectivelyunique to individual ones of the trading cards may be provided to theprinting system. Operation 816 may be performed by a card printingsubsystem that is the same as or similar to card printing subsystem 130,in accordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary illustration of a flowchart of a method ofdetecting and validating trading cards, according to an implementationof the invention.

In an operation 902, one or more input streams may be received.Operation 902 may be performed by an image extraction subsystem that isthe same as or similar to image extraction subsystem 132, in accordancewith one or more implementations.

In an operation 904, a trading card candidate may be detected based onthe input streams. Operation 904 may be performed by an image extractionsubsystem that is the same as or similar to image extraction subsystem132, in accordance with one or more implementations.

In an operation 906, a version icon candidate on the trading cardcandidate may be detected. Operation 906 may be performed by an imageextraction subsystem that is the same as or similar to image extractionsubsystem 132, in accordance with one or more implementations.

In an operation 908, a determination of whether the version iconcandidate matches a known version icon may be effectuated. Operation 908may be performed by a card validation subsystem that is the same as orsimilar to card validation subsystem 128, in accordance with one or moreimplementations. As an example, method 900 may proceed to operation 902responsive to a determination that the version icon candidate does notmatch a known version icon (e.g., the trading card candidate may not bea known trading card). Method 900 may proceed to an operation 910responsive to a determination that the version icon candidate matches aknown version icon (e.g., the trading card candidate may a known tradingcard).

In operation 910, a graphic coding scheme (for decoding a graphicalrepresentation of a unique code of the trading card (or the trading cardcandidate) may be obtained based on the matched version icon. Operation910 may be performed by a card validation subsystem that is the same asor similar to card validation subsystem 128, in accordance with one ormore implementations.

In an operation 912, the unique code of the trading may be obtainedbased on the graphic coding scheme. Operation 912 may be performed by acard validation subsystem that is the same as or similar to cardvalidation subsystem 128, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

In an operation 914, a set of unique codes (against which the obtainedunique code of the trading card is to be validated) may be determinedbased on the matched version icon. Operation 914 may be performed by acard validation subsystem that is the same as or similar to cardvalidation subsystem 128, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

In an operation 916, a determination of whether the trading card is avalid trading card may be effectuated. As an example, the determinationmay be based on a comparison of the obtained unique code against theobtained set of unique codes (which are known to be valid unique codes).If the obtained unique code matches one of the known valid unique codes,it may be determined that the trading card is a valid trading card. Onthe other hand, if the obtained unique code does not match any of theknown valid unique codes, it may be determined that the trading card isnot a valid trading card. Operation 916 may be performed by a cardvalidation subsystem that is the same as or similar to card validationsubsystem 128, in accordance with one or more implementations. As anexample, method 900 may proceed to an operation 918 responsive to adetermination that the trading card is a valid trading card. Method 900may proceed to an operation 920 responsive to a determination that thetrading card is not a valid trading card.

In operation 918, the trading card may be added to a user's virtualcollection of trading cards. As an example, a user may scan a physicalcopy of the trading card to add the trading card to the user's virtualtrading card collection in a game (e.g., so that the virtual copy of thetrading card may be utilized by the user in the game to carry out one ormore objectives of the game). If the trading card is determined to bevalid, the trading card may be added to the user's virtual trading cardcollection, and the virtual copy of the trading card may be activatedfor the user to use in the game. Operation 918 may be performed by avirtual card collection subsystem that is the same as or similar tovirtual card collection subsystem 144, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

In operation 920, error correction may be applied (e.g., to the uniquecode obtained from decoding a graphical representation thereof) toattempt to obtain a valid unique code. Operation 920 may be performed bya card validation subsystem that is the same as or similar to cardvalidation subsystem 128, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

In an operation 922, a determination of whether the trading card is avalid trading card may be effectuated. As an example, after errorcorrection is applied, a unique code obtained from decoding a graphicalrepresentation thereof, the error-corrected unique code may be comparedagainst a set of unique codes (which are known to be valid unique codes)to determine whether the error-corrected unique code matches one of theknown valid unique codes. Operation 922 may be performed by a cardvalidation subsystem that is the same as or similar to card validationsubsystem 128, in accordance with one or more implementations. As anexample, method 900 may proceed to an operation 918 responsive to adetermination that the trading card is a valid trading card. Method 900may proceed to an operation 924 responsive to a determination that thetrading card is not a valid trading card.

In operation 924, a notification regarding a validation failure may beprovided. As an example, when a user scans a physical copy of thetrading card, and the processing of the scan results in an invaliditydetermination, a notification regarding the validation failure may beprovided to the user. In some embodiments, a user may be “locked out” ofthe trading card detection and validation process after a certain numberof validation failures within a certain period of time. For example,three validation failures within a ten-minute time period may cause aone-hour lockout. In some embodiments, the lockout period mayprogressively increase as validation failures accumulate. In someembodiments, repeated validation failures relating to a particularunique code may be handled differently from multiple validation failuresrelating to different unique codes. In particular, the latter scenariomay indicate a brute force attempt at randomly guessing valid codes,while the former may be more indicative of a genuine detection error.Operation 924 may be performed by a card validation subsystem that isthe same as or similar to card validation subsystem 128, in accordancewith one or more implementations.

Other implementations, uses and advantages of the invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. Forexample, though certain embodiments above relate to a system and methodfor creating uniquely identifiable trading cards, one of skill in theart will appreciate that the disclosed techniques can also be applied toother physical objects. The specification should be considered exemplaryonly, and the scope of the invention is accordingly intended to belimited only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of creating trading cards for use with avideo game and integrating associated unique codes as part of thecontent of the trading cards, the method being implemented in a computersystem having one or more physical processors programmed with computerprogram instructions which, when executed by the one or more physicalprocessors, cause the computer system to perform the method, the methodcomprising: obtaining, by the computer system, a unique code thatidentifies a trading card; generating, by the computer system, based ona graphic coding scheme, a graphical representation of the unique code,wherein the graphical representation is a visually perceptiblenon-alphanumeric representation of the unique code and is part of anon-unique depiction of a game item that is usable in the video game andwherein the graphic coding scheme is configured to transform the uniquecode into the graphical representation of the unique code; generating,by the computer system and based on the graphic coding scheme, agraphical representation of an error code, wherein the graphic codingscheme is configured to transform the error code into the graphicalrepresentation of the error code; obtaining, by the computer system,content associated with the depiction of the game item; generating, bythe computer system, the trading card based on the content associatedwith the depiction of the game item, the graphical representation of theerror code, and the graphical representation of the unique code suchthat the generated trading card depicts the game item, the graphicalrepresentation of the error code, and the graphical representation ofthe unique code; using a card validation system to acquire and determinethe unique code from the trading card and to acquire and determine theerror code from the trading card; and using the error code, by the cardvalidation subsystem, to detect and/or correct an error relating to anincorrect determination of the unique code.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the game item comprises at least one of: (1) a character in thevideo game that is to be depicted on the trading card; (2) an in-gameaccessory for use in the video game that is to be depicted on thetrading card; or (3) a power for use in the video game that is to bedepicted on the trading card.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thegraphical representation of the unique code comprises respectivegraphical representations of bits corresponding to the unique code. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of theunique code comprises at least one of: (1) an aspect of a character inthe video game that is to be depicted on the trading card; (2) an aspectof an in-game accessory in the video game that is to be depicted on thetrading card; or (3) an aspect of a power in the video game that is tobe depicted on the trading card.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: obtaining, by the computer system, versioning informationassociated with the trading card, wherein the versioning informationidentifies a trading card set version; and selecting, by the computersystem, the graphic coding scheme based on the trading card set version;wherein the graphic coding scheme is used to generate the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code based on the selection of the graphiccoding scheme.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: obtaining,by the computer system, a version icon based on the trading card setversion; wherein the trading card is generated based on the contentassociated with the depiction of the game item, the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code, and the version icon such that thegenerated trading card depicts the game item, the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code, and the version icon.
 7. The methodof claim 5, further comprising: obtaining, by the computer system, basedon the trading card set version, a template for generating the tradingcard; wherein the trading card is generated based on the contentassociated with the depiction of the game item, the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code, and the template such that thegenerated trading card depicts the game item and the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code in accordance with the template. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein a set of trading cards comprises thetrading card and one or more other trading cards, the method furthercomprising: providing, by the computer system, to a printing system,information related to a first portion of the generated trading cardthat is unique to the generated trading card with respect to the set oftrading cards; providing, by the computer system, to the printingsystem, information related to a second portion of the generated tradingcard that is common to the set of trading cards; providing, by thecomputer system, to the printing system, an indication that theinformation related to the second portion of the generated trading cardis to be used to respectively print a corresponding portion of the oneor more other trading cards; providing, by the computer system, to theprinting system, information related to one or more portions of the oneor more other trading cards that are respectively unique to the one ormore other trading cards with respect to the set of trading cards;wherein the generated trading card is printed based on the informationrelated to the first portion of the generated trading card and theinformation related to the second portion of the generated trading card;and wherein the one or more other trading cards are printed based on theinformation related to the one or more other portions of the one or moreother trading cards, the information related to the second portion ofthe generated trading card, and the indication that the informationrelated to the second portion of the generated trading card is to beused to respectively print a corresponding portion of the one or moreother trading cards.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:obtaining, by the computer system, from the printing system, a requestfor information related to a trading card portion that is common to theset of trading cards; wherein the indication that the informationrelated to the second portion of the generated trading card is to beused to respectively print a corresponding portion of the one or moreother trading cards is provided by providing, by the computer system,the information related to the second portion of the generated tradingcard in response to the request for the information related to thecommon trading card portion.
 10. The method of claim 8, whereinproviding the indication comprises providing one or more printinginstructions indicating that the information related to the secondportion of the generated trading card is to be used to respectivelyprint a corresponding portion of the one or more other trading cards.11. A system for creating trading cards for use with a video game andintegrating associated unique codes as part of the content of thetrading cards, the system comprising: a computer system comprising oneor more physical processors programmed with computer programinstructions which, when executed by the one or more physicalprocessors, causes the computer system to: obtain a unique code thatidentifies a trading card; generate, based on a graphic coding scheme, agraphical representation of the unique code, wherein the graphicalrepresentation is a visually perceptible non-alphanumeric representationof the unique code and is part of a non-unique depiction of a game itemthat is usable in the video game and wherein the graphic coding schemeis configured to transform the unique code into the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code; generate, based on the graphic codingscheme, a graphical representation of an error code, wherein the graphiccoding scheme is configured to transform the error code into thegraphical representation of the error code; obtain content associatedwith the depiction of the game item; and generate the trading card basedon the content associated with the depiction of the game item, thegraphical representation of the error code, and the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code such that the generated trading carddepicts the game item, the graphical representation of the error code,and the graphical representation of the unique code; and a cardvalidation system comprising one or more physical processors programmedwith computer program instructions which, when executed by the one ormore physical processors, causes the card validation system to: acquireand determine the unique code from the trading card and to acquire anddetermine the error code from the trading card; and use the error codeto detect and/or correct an error relating to an incorrect determinationof the unique code.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the game itemcomprises at least one of: (1) a character in the video game that is tobe depicted on the trading card; (2) an in-game accessory for use in thevideo game that is to be depicted on the trading card; or (3) a powerfor use in the video game that is to be depicted on the trading card.13. The system of claim 11, wherein the graphical representation of theunique code comprises respective graphical representations of bitscorresponding to the unique code.
 14. The system of claim 11, whereinthe graphical representation of the unique code comprises at least oneof: (1) an aspect of a character in the video game that is to bedepicted on the trading card; (2) an aspect of an in-game accessory inthe video game that is to be depicted on the trading card; or (3) anaspect of a power in the video game that is to be depicted on thetrading card.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer system isfurther caused to: obtain versioning information associated with thetrading card, wherein the versioning information identifies a tradingcard set version; and select the graphic coding scheme based on thetrading card set version; wherein the graphic coding scheme is used togenerate the graphical representation of the unique code based on theselection of the graphic coding scheme.
 16. The system of claim 15,wherein the computer system is further caused to: obtain a version iconbased on the trading card set version; wherein the trading card isgenerated based on the content associated with the depiction of the gameitem, the graphical representation of the unique code, and the versionicon such that the generated trading card depicts the game item, thegraphical representation of the unique code, and the version icon. 17.The system of claim 15, wherein the computer system is further causedto: obtain, based on the trading card set version, a template forgenerating the trading card; wherein the trading card is generated basedon the content associated with the depiction of the game item, thegraphical representation of the unique code, and the template such thatthe generated trading card depicts the game item and the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code in accordance with the template. 18.The system of claim 11, wherein a set of trading cards comprises thetrading card and one or more other trading cards, and wherein thecomputer system is further caused to: provide, to a printing system,information related to a first portion of the generated trading cardthat is unique to the generated trading card with respect to the set oftrading cards; provide, to the printing system, information related to asecond portion of the generated trading card that is common to the setof trading cards; provide, to the printing system, an indication thatthe information related to the second portion of the generated tradingcard is to be used to respectively print a corresponding portion of theone or more other trading cards; provide, to the printing system,information related to one or more portions of the one or more othertrading cards that are respectively unique to the one or more othertrading cards with respect to the set of trading cards; wherein thegenerated trading card is printed based on the information related tothe first portion of the generated trading card and the informationrelated to the second portion of the generated trading card; and whereinthe one or more other trading cards are printed based on the informationrelated to the one or more other portions of the one or more othertrading cards, the information related to the second portion of thegenerated trading card, and the indication that the information relatedto the second portion of the generated trading card is to be used torespectively print a corresponding portion of the one or more othertrading cards.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer systemis further caused to: obtain, from the printing system, a request forinformation related to a trading card portion that is common to the setof trading cards; wherein the indication that the information related tothe second portion of the generated trading card is to be used torespectively print a corresponding portion of the one or more othertrading cards is provided by providing the information related to thesecond portion of the generated trading card in response to the requestfor the information related to the common trading card portion.
 20. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein providing the indication comprises providingone or more printing instructions indicating that the informationrelated to the second portion of the generated trading card is to beused to respectively print a corresponding portion of the one or moreother trading cards.
 21. A computer program product for creating tradingcards for use with a video game and integrating associated unique codesas part of the content of the trading cards, the computer programproduct comprising: one or more tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable storage devices; a first plurality of programinstructions, stored on at least one of the one or more tangible,non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage devices that, whenexecuted, causes a computer to: generate, based on a graphic codingscheme, a graphical representation of the unique code, wherein thegraphical representation is a visually perceptible non-alphanumericrepresentation of the unique code and is part of a non-unique depictionof a game item that is usable in the video game and wherein the graphiccoding scheme is configured to transform the unique code into thegraphical representation of the unique code; generate, based on thegraphic coding scheme, a graphical representation of an error code,wherein the graphic coding scheme is configured to transform the errorcode into the graphical representation of the error code; obtain contentassociated with the depiction of the game item; generate the tradingcard based on the content associated with the depiction of the gameitem, the graphical representation of the error code, and the graphicalrepresentation of the unique code such that the generated trading carddepicts the game item, the graphical representation of the error code,and the graphical representation of the unique code; and a secondplurality of program instructions, stored on at least one of the one ormore tangible, non-transitory computer-readable tangible storage devicesthat, when executed, causes a card validation system to: acquire anddetermine the unique code from the trading card and to acquire anddetermine the error code from the trading card; and use the error codeto detect and/or correct an error relating to an incorrect determinationof the unique code.